No One Lives Forever- CH9

No One Lives Forever- CH9

(AO3 link)

Stardust Crusader Wolf Pack AU

[From the beginning- CH1]

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AN: warning- mentions of smoking, blood, fighting and injury/death in this chapter

As the rest of the pack clears the table of the hunters’ things and makes their way to the lounge, Joseph steps outside to the back porch to make his call. It doesn’t take more than a few rings for Caesar to pick up, “Hey! Caesarino! How are you and Suzi getting along without me?”

“Jojo! Checking up on me? Everything is under control! No need to worry!” Caesar greets, his accent thicker than usual and Joseph can tell he’s stressed about something.

“Under control? You mean it was out of control before I called?” Joseph frowns and stares out into the surrounding woods. “Never mind that for now, listen; we’ve had an… incident out here. We’re going to be cutting the trip short.”

“Jojo, tell me this is one of your idiotic jokes. Suzi already told you, didn’t she?” Caesar’s accent is even stronger now and Joseph can tell he’s made a face and pinched the bridge of his nose from his tone alone.

“I’m completely serious Caesar. What happened? Is everyone alright there?” Joseph can feel himself growling and his hair stand on end.

“Si, yes. Everyone is fine. We had an incident here as well. Frankie and Lucky caught some idioti sniffing around the main office. They put up a fight when the boys confronted them. Jojo, they were carrying silver weapons.”

“Shit. Are the boys alright?” Josephs eyes widen and he runs a hand through his hair.

“Yes, they’re fine. You know we Zeppelis don’t go down easy. Anyway, we covered up the issue from the police for now, but there was something else. Frankie said they both had a strange smell to them. Like nothing they’ve ever encountered before.” Joseph nearly drops his phone at this new information. “What happened to you guys out there. I thought it was just a vacation for you?”

“You’re not going to believe this Caesar. We ran into a group of werewolf hunters. Silver bullets, armed to the teeth, the whole she-bang. They weren’t after us though, they were chasing a girl through our territory. Jotaro stepped in and tool them out and looks like we gained a packmate from the whole situation. But Caesar,” Joseph leans forward on the porch rail and grips it with his free hand. He suddenly seems much older as he hunches over, “they were here to take her alive. Someone is trafficking wolves, not just near the city like we were worried about. And one of them, he smelled like magic.”

“Magic? You’re sure? The last time we encountered anything magic was…”

“I know. The Proto-Fae. Its not the same, similar but not the same. We’ll have to discuss this more in person though. We’re going to leave the cabin tomorrow, is it safe to meet at the main office?”

“No, best to stay away from that for now. But we did just close on that apartment building you had your eyes on for a while. The penthouse is vacant if we want to use that as a meeting point?”

“Perfect! Yeah, gather everyone there. Zeppelis and Joestars. Call up the furnishing rental place too, I want it set up before we get back in town.”

“So bossy.” Joseph hears Caesar sigh, “Alright, we’ll get it set up. See you soon Jojo. Ciao!”

“Ciao, Caesar.” Joseph takes a moment to compose himself. An attack in the city on their turf? At the shared headquarters with the Zeppelis no less. He has to get his emotions under control, if the others see him stressed its just going to cause more stress. Jotaro may be the alpha now, but the pack still takes cues from him as well. With one last fortifying breath he stands up straight and marches back into the cabin. “Jotaro, can I speak with you?” Joseph hovers by the back door, invitation open to take the conversation outside. Jotaro just nods and follows him out.

Jotaro wastes no time waiting for his grandpa to start, “What’s wrong? I assume Caesar had bad news?” He pulls a cigarette pack out form his pocket and lights one before offering one to the older alpha. Joseph surprisingly accepts, he quit years ago but maybe it will help calm his nerves. Or at least hide his stressed scent from the others until they could put their plan in motion.

He takes a long drag and leans over the rail again. “Caesar’s boys caught some guys around the main office. Get this, they were also armed with silver.”

“Shit.”

“That’s exactly what I said!” Joseph exclaims and throws his hands in the air. “Everyone is fine, but we gotta get back. Caesar’s setting up an apartment to crash in instead of going to headquarters or our own places. On the bright side, it looks like the building on Broadway finally closed.” He takes another long drag of the cigarette and flicks his ash over the rail.

“We’ll have to leave tomorrow then. Weather is supposed to turn to shit here anyway.” Jotaro finishes his own cigarette and stomps it out on the cement stair pad. He tugs his hat to cover his eyes and says, “And thanks. For getting this set up.” Joseph can read between the lines, getting an outright thankyou from Jotaro was rare enough but expecting him to just blurt out ‘thanks for respecting me as an alpha and guiding me through this’? Impossible.

They head back inside and quickly get the pack’s attention “We’re going to head back to the city tomorrow. We don’t have all the details yet but there was an incident at the business main office.”

Jotaro pauses for the gasps and exclamations, “Everyone there is alright, but we are concerned the issues we had here are connected. We’ll discuss with the Zeppelis what the plan is when we get there. Tonight we’ll prep the cabin and head out first thing tomorrow.” Everyone nods in understanding and gets to work with preparing the cabin for an extended leave.

You aren’t left with much to do as the guys divide up the various tasks until Joseph suggests you go through your car for the things you’ll be taking with you. Polnareff adds to take out any identifying effects or papers in case the cops do decide to investigate the van left parked down the road. By the time everyone is finished with their tasks its time for dinner, Jotaro and Joseph taking their turn to cook the rest of the food in the fridge so it wont spoil while the cabin is vacant.

Everyone winds down for the night and you are both relieved and dreading the fact that the number of beds hasn’t magically changed. Jotaro seems to feel the same way as you are both the last two remaining in the lounge for the night, trying to avoid the awkwardness that was to come. You eye the couch before he sighs and stands, offering you a hand up from your seat in a silent invitation to join him and share the bedroom again. You smile as you take his hand and head down the short hallway with him.

You quickly get changed into your own pajamas for the night. It’s a relief to not be swimming in extra fabric and fighting to keep from tripping over pants three sizes too big. Sitting on the edge of the bed you wait for Jotaro to finish his nightly routine and join you. Now is going to be the perfect chance to talk to him one on one, you noticed he was almost avoiding you while in the company of the rest of the pack.

He sees you waiting for him when he enters and for a moment looks like he’s going to turn right around and head for the lounge for the night. But he braces himself and sits stiffly next to you on the bed, back straight and not looking at you. “So…” you try and think of how to break the ice, “You’re the alpha, right? I’m guessing Mr. Joestar handed down the position?” He seems to relax slightly as he leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees.

“Yeah, the old man decided to step down a couple of years ago. He’s still helping me get the hang of this, it’s still strange to be the one making the final decisions.” He’s more and more relaxed as he faces you while he talks, still bent forward over his legs.

You pull a pillow to your chest as you cross your legs on the bed. “Can you tell me more about everyone’s dynamics? I’d like to know what I’m getting into a little better…” you trail off as his expression becomes more solemn and you subconsciously copy his furrowed brow.

“Listen, about that. It looks like things are going to get worse before they get better, but as soon as it’s safe you’ll be free to go as you please again.” Even in the dimmed lamplight of the room his blue eyes are electrifying and cutting with his serious expression.

You lean back in surprise “’Go as I please?’ Listen, if you don’t want me around just say so Jotaro, I can take care of myself with the exception of trained wolf hunters. So drop me off in the next town and I’ll be out of your hair.” You stand up and toss the pillow while moving towards the door.

“Wait- that’s not…” he huffs loudly as he stands up and grabs your arm to stop your retreat, “I didn’t mean it like that. We do want you to stay. I… When Polnareff mentioned your car not being drivable, you had this look on your face like you were planning on riding off into the sunset and now you were trapped.” He lets go of your arm and you turn back to face him. “I don’t know what I’m saying anymore, I just want it to be your decision to stay, not because you’re stuck with us. Pretty useless to save you from being trapped by hunters to trap you in a pack instead.” He tangles his hand in his hair as he looks down at his feet, waiting for your response.

“I… that makes sense. Sorry, I thought you were…” You trail off as you think how to ease the misunderstanding. “I guess, I just feel like part of the pack already? You all remind me of my family – you’re a mix of serious and goofy guys.” You sit back down on the bed and reclaim your pillow. “I get what you mean though. I guess we’ll just have to see when this is all over, right?” You smile at him and the tension in his shoulders eases as he gives a small smile back.

You pat the empty space next to you, inviting him back to the bed. “You can still give me the rundown on the rest of the pack though, I’d like to get a feel for my place here.”

Instead of sitting back down next to you, he circles to his side of the bed and sits up with his back to the wall. “Why don’t you tell me what you think? I’ll tell you how close you are.”

You lean back next to him and count off on your fingers, “Well, Mr. Joestar is the previous alpha, Avdol I think is a delta, but I can’t tell between Polnareff and Kakyoin who is your beta.”

“Polnareff does a lot for us, but he tends to go back to his lone wolf tendencies a lot. It took a long time for gramps and Avdol to convince him to join up permanently. Kakyoin is my beta, we’ve been friends since college and I’d trust him with anything.” You nod and he looks at you, “Why don’t you tell me about your family, you said we remind you of them? Serous and silly?”

You laugh quietly and dive into your favorite memories of your parents and siblings and their shenanigans. Slowly you find you’re both laying down in the bed and can barely keep your eyes open as you talk and share stories. The last thing you remember before finally succumbing to sleep is Jotaro’s hand holding yours on top of the sheets as you both drift off.

 You are both woken up the next morning by Jotaro’s phone alarm. Not being much of a morning person you stubbornly keep your eyes closed even as you shuffle to the bathroom to brush your hair and teeth. Splashing some water on your face manages to wake you up fully so you grab your bag and make your way to the lounge. One by one the guys arrive with their own bags and the pack is ready to head out. Joseph sighs wistfully as he locks the front door and you reach out to put an hand on his arm.

He smiles at you but it’s a bittersweet expression, “Sorry, (Y/N). I was just really looking forward to staying in this place. I’m getting too old to be running all over the city anymore!” He laughs and reaches a hand behind his head.

Jotaro appears from behind him and puts a hand on his shoulder, “You’re not that old yet gramps. But I get it. It was nice while it lasted though.” Joseph just nods and you all make your way off the front porch to the grey Suburban waiting in the drive way. Your car had been hidden around back and covered with a spare tarp to further dissuade nosey troopers if they came out this far. Polnareff had been careful not to leave prints on the hunters’ van while he searched it so it was decided to leave it where it was.

Polnareff hops into the driver’s seat and Jotaro claims shotgun, Avdol and Kakyoin in the back leaving the middle row for Joseph and you. As soon as you are all settled the journey begins. Joseph immediately turns to you and asks, “Say, (Y/N), you said you’ve been traveling for a while now. Have you ever been to New York City before?”

You shake your head no, “I’ve been around it, through some of the boroughs, but never downtown and not for very long when I was close. I’m excited to see it up close though!”

“You are in for a treat young lady! Caesar’s getting it set up for us, you’ll get to meet him when we get there. We’ll all be staying in a downtown penthouse apartment my realty company recently acquired. The view from up there is just fantastic!” Joseph’s excited volume is a little loud for the small space but it’s endearing to see his arms wave about in his excitement.

“Do you guys normally all live together?”

Kakyoin speaks up from the back seat, “No, we all live in separate apartments on the same block, with the exception of Mr. Joestar and Jotaro live in the same building.” You nod and make a noise of understanding. That seems like a pretty good set up to not be constantly on top of each other from what you’ve heard about the size of New York apartments.

You’ve been traveling for about an hour down rural roads, chatting mostly with Joseph and the guys in the back seat when Polnareff announces you’ll be stopping at the next gas station before getting on the highway. “Great! That will give us a chance to get snacks for dinner and breakfast tomorrow. We’ll have to order some groceries to the apartment or something later.” Joseph says as he pulls out his phone, presumably to check which stores could fulfill the quick order. Soon the gas station comes into view and Polnareff pulls up to the pump. You unload yourselves and stretch out as you make your way inside for bathroom breaks and -as instructed by Joseph- ‘all the snacks you can carry’ as Polnareff fills the truck.

The guys automatically pair up and head for the bagged snack isles, so you grab a shopping basket and head back to the drink coolers. Kakyoin is about to walk down the chip isle when Avdol’s arm shoots out in front of him blocking his path. He’s startled by the abrupt action and turns to question Avdol, but he’s focused and staring at a point in the ceiling, specifically the air vent. “Avdol? What’s wrong?”

“Shh… Listen,” Kakyoin obeys and focuses his attention to the sounds coming from the vent. Tapping and scratching? It was faint though, “Hmm. Perhaps I’m just being over cautious. Sounds like this place has a rat problem though. Better check the packaging of what we buy is still intact.” The scratching fades, whatever it was probably using the vents to get around undetected.

There is a sudden shout and a loud thud from the isle between Kakyoin and Avdol and the others. The entire store goes silent as everyone stops to look around for the cause. Avdol gives a small nod to Jotaro and then to the isle between them. They both move to the opposite ends of the isle in a pincer movement to investigate whatever had happened. The smell of blood suddenly permeates the air and they rush to the isle, another customer is laying prone in a pool of their own blood either unconscious or dead.

On top of them though sits a small creature with comically large ears, bulging yellow eyes and protruding teeth that vaguely resemble some sort of predatory fish. It shrieks in glee at the sight of them and rushes behind the products on the shelf in an incredible burst of speed.

“Hey, is everything OK over here?” One of the other customers, the old man who was checking out hesitantly walks a few steps towards them. The cashier leans over the counter to get a better look as well.

“No! Stay back!” Is all Jotaro can get out before the creature has scurried through the display racks sending products flying in its wake. It leaps and aims at the old man’s face to attack with its teeth. The old man screams as he flails and falls backward managing to push the thing off but loosing a chunk of his cheek in the process. The cashier screams out a curse as he reaches for the gun under the counter. In a blink the little gremlin has disappeared again into the shelving.

The pack is on high alert, you are all vulnerable in your human forms, but it’s not worth the risk of transforming in public with witnesses present just yet. Even if the cashier seems too busy trying to drag the old man behind the checkout counter for shelter. Joseph runs to help them and the creature sets its sights on him, lunging out from the isle way. It gets distracted from its target when Avdol rushes it instead. Cackling, it launches itself at Avdol this time, swiping with sharp claws at his arms leaving bloody streaks as it attacks but thankfully not doing much damage.

Jotaro tries to intervene next and it zips away from Avdol to confront him. “Eeeeehhheeeee! Too slow! Too slow! You have no hope of catching me so just give up now!” It swipes at Jotaro’s leg as it passes him. You become its next target as you also move closer to try and help but it suddenly changes direction again when it sees Joseph moving the cashier and old man out the side door to safety. It swipes at him before turning back to you as you advance. Kakyoin can see that though it is very fast it is also not doing much damage when it gets within range before jumping to the next target. In fact, it seems to be easily distracted by the nearest moving thing.

Kakyoin tests his theory and throws a packet of candy at the gremlin and it immediately turns his way and advances. Avdol catches on as well and throws more junk food at it and causes it to turn yet again. “Heehehe! Just wait your turn! I’ll kill all of you so fast you won’t know you’re dead!” it shouts in its screeching voice before angrily shouting as Kakyoin hits it hard with a soda can. Enraged, it leaps in his direction again but you and Jotaro have caught onto the plan now and Jotaro hits it before it can get halfway to Kakyoin. You are all pelting bags of food and drinks at it when Kakyoin yells, “Now, Avdol!” From behind the creature Avdol jumps at it holding open a large travel cooler. It screeches in surprise but it is for once too slow to escape the trap set up for it. The cooler snaps shut with a bang and Kakyoin grabs the roll of duct tape he spotted earlier, going over and securing the lid to prevent the gremlin’s escape.

The cooler rattles and shakes as the gremlin throws itself against the walls of its makeshift prison. “Impossible! Let me out! LET ME OUT!” it howls and screeches and you’re glad the cooler doubles as a sound insulator as well.

“Looks like all that speed is useless if you can’t focus on a target.” Kakyoin laughs as he holds the container steady from the creature’s thrashing. It continues screaming gibberish, what you can safely assume are curses in its native tongue.

“Good job Kakyoin, figuring out its weakness so fast.” Jotaro praises as he walks up and leans against one of the shelves to keep off his wounded leg. You stand next to him as Joseph returns from helping the employee drag the wounded old man outside. The shaking of the cooler is starting to lessen, the thing either running out of energy or out of air.

“Wait! Wait! Please!” It wheezes and gasps, “I’ll tell you everything, just let me go and I’ll tell you who sent me!”

“Sent you? No deal, tell us who sent you first and then we’ll talk.” Joseph crosses his arms and glares down at the box.

It doesn’t hesitate before spilling its secrets. “If you promise to release me, I’ll tell you! It was Lord Dio who sent me! The hunters, they were under his command and failed him.” The pack looks at each other in shock for a moment then back at the box when the gremlin continues. “Lord Dio sent his scouts to investigate- imagine my luck and surprise when the Joestars turn up!” it cackles and thrashes some more, “Now release me! You promised! We have a deal!”

“We didn’t promise you shit. You just spilled your guts for nothing.” Jotaro scoffs before tuning out the enraged screams and turns to the pack. “Grab whatever is salvageable and some first aid stuff.” You all nod and start picking through the debris of the fight. “Kakyoin, you’re good with computers. See if you can delete the security footage.”

Avdol stands from where he had been kneeling next to the gremlin’s first victim, checking if there was anything he could do. But the surprise attack had hit a major vein or artery and they bled out quickly. “To think such a small creature was able to do so much damage in such a short amount of time.” He shakes his head and carefully wipes his hands of any of the victim’s blood. His own wounds on his arms still dripping but thankfully shallow enough they would only require bandages overnight before they healed completely. He looks around at the damage before picking through he items, searching for a decent first aid kit and extra bandages for the trip.

“What are we going to do with that thing? We can’t leave it for the humans to open up later.” You ask as you toss some packs of jerky into a shopping bag.

Jotaro takes over holding the cooler still by sitting on it while Kakyoin moves to the back room of the store. You shudder as you get a whiff of Jotaro’s blood for the first time, your senses zeroing in on the smell overpowering all the others in the store. You suppress a growl and feel your hair stand on end as you glare at the cooler.

“We’ll have to take it with us. It will run out of air eventually- especially if it keeps shouting like that. We’ll see if we can get any more info out of it and burry it.” You nod at his reasoning. It would be too dangerous to just leave it but the new detour puts your travel plans in a bind.

Kakyoin emerges from the back room and nods to Jotaro, “They were still using an old tape system. I took care of the footage.” Jotaro sighs and nods, then motions the beta to help him carry the cooler. They each grab a handle and lead the pack back outside where Polnareff is waiting, bored in the driver seat. There is no sign of the cashier and old man, now is the time for a clean exit.

“Jeeze! What took you guys so long? You fall into the toilets or something?” Polnareff mocks as the rest of the pack load the snacks into the car. He does a double take and gapes at the fresh wounds you are all sporting. “Guys?”

Jotaro just gives the cooler a little shake while loading it into the back and the gremlin screeches and rocks its makeshift trap. Polnareff jumps back in alarm as Jotaro says, “We ran into one of Dio’s scouts. We’ll fill you in on the way but we have to take a detour.” Polnareff just gulps and nods. Soon the pack is pulling out onto a side road, passing the ramp for the highway and heading back into the woods.

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Author’s Note:

I’m so proud of myself, actually keeping to my weekly schedule! Here we are, the first not-stand battle featuring the Tower of Grey! All the battles are going to be cryptids and mythical creatures and I figured a gremlin was perfect for this one. 1: he’s an ugly gross guy. 2: biggest influence I had for gremlins was the old episode of twilight zone where it is messing with the plane. 3: he somewhat follows cannon plot of showing up and causing an immediate detour.

gift for my dear @dihell-art

I need more large guys laughing at their own jokes please.

No One Lives Forever- CH11

(AO3 link)

Stardust Crusader Wolf Pack AU

[From the beginning- CH1]

<Previous Chapter     Next Chapter>

The sky is painted bright orange and red by the time the pack arrives at the next camp site. The fall colors on the trees make the world look like it’s made of gold and rubies cemented to black cast iron trees in silhouette. The path to the camp ground is narrow but still large enough for the truck to navigate as Avdol drives carefully down the one lane trail. Kakyoin had kept in mind the need to be able to transform at will tonight and found a private campsite that promised a ‘true survival experience’ according to the reviews online.

Your attention is dragged away from the fall scenery outside as Jotaro shifts in his sleep, his head resting in your lap as he lays sideways on the bench seat of the back row. You adjust the hoodie you’d thrown over his sleeping figure and gently brush back his hair before returning your hand to rest on his arm. He’d been exhausted after the last fight and started nodding off almost as soon as you had set out. After the third time he leaned too far forward and jerked himself awake you gave in and decided to risk the embarrassment of the others teasing -or worse, Jotaro’s rejection- and offered to let him lay down. He looked confused for a moment but you patted your lap in invitation. He snuck a quick glance to the rest of the pack before shifting and laying down. You were both tense at first at first but you hesitantly ran your hand over his hair and he loosened up considerably. Soon he was fully asleep on you.

Joseph and Polnareff also seem to be sleeping, or close to it in the middle row seats, but a particularly rough bump in the road shakes the truck enough to wake everyone. Jotaro grumbles as he sits up, sweatshirt falling off and revealing the tank top and bandages on his shoulder. He looks it for a moment before handing it back to you with a gruff ‘thanks’, his voice raspy with sleep.

“It’s no problem. Feeling better?” you ask as you bundle the sweater on your lap.

“A bit. Still sore as hell.” He tries his best to stretch in the confined space. Another bump in the road almost causes him to bump his head on the roof and he slumps in his seat to avoid it happening again as the bumps and rocking get more extreme.

“Ah, that must be the camp site ahead.” Kakyoin says as he looks up from the map on his phone and points to the clearing now visible after cresting a small hill. The truck is barely still for a second before Polnareff jumps out and starts stretching. The rest of you follow his example, the cramped car ride after transforming and fighting not doing your muscles any favors. Like the site you just left this one was also empty but located much deeper in the forest. Perfect for keeping off the grid until morning.

The last campers had left some firewood under the cover of a nearby pine tree so you work to quickly clear the ashes from the fire pit. With the help of Jotaro’s lighter, a good size fire crackled happily to life just as the sun set. The rest of the pack had split up to investigate the clearing and into the woods beyond while you built the fire, but the rustling of bags draws everyone back in. Joseph makes his way over carrying as many bags of snacks as he can, “Dinner time! Looks like the choices tonight are beef jerky, chips or candy.” You all gather and take a seat on the logs laying near the fire and start passing around the bags.

While a meal of snacks wouldn’t be filling for long, for now it was enough to leave you all satisfied. Joseph is sitting with Polnareff and Avdol across from where you are seated between Jotaro and Kakyoin and sets off the first contagious yawn. You can hear his back crack as he stretches, your own eyes watering from the strength of your yawn. Polnareff laughs and slaps Joseph on the back, “Ha, looks like it’s past the old wolf’s bed time!” Joseph can’t refute this as he goes to reply and gets caught by another epic yawn.

“We should go over sleeping arrangements though. The truck is too small for all of us to sleep in and we only have a fire because the last campers left some wood.” Kakyoin says as he leans forward toward the fire and rests his head in his hand. He moves his sharp gaze around the clearing looking for any other supplies or natural resources that could be used. He heaves a sigh and drops his gaze back to the fire.

Jotaro hums in though as he looks around as well. “With all the encounters we’ve had just today I think we should take shifts on patrol. The truck can probably hold two people if we fold down some seats. The rest of us will have to spend the night transformed, for safety and for warmth.” The rest of the pack nods in agreement. “Avdol, are you ok driving the rest of the way tomorrow?”

Avdol tilts his head at the change of subject. “Yes, that shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Good,” Jotaro leans back and stretches a bit as he explains, “you and the old man can sleep in the truck tonight, the rest of us will pair up and patrol in shifts.”

“Well wait a moment Jotaro, I can patrol too!” Joseph slaps his hands on his legs as he leans forward toward Jotaro. “I know I joke about it a lot but I’m not that old!”

Jotaro sighs as he closes his eyes and crosses his arms. “One of these days your age will catch up to you. Besides, you’ll need to be well rested to navigate for Avdol tomorrow. And you need to manage whatever is going on at the new headquarters once we get there.” He opens his eyes again and fixes Joseph with a steely gaze. Joseph scratches at his beard and looks away, not ready or willing to challenge Jotaro on this. You can’t really make out what he grumbles under his breath other than ‘not that old’.

Polnareff laughs and slaps Joseph on the back, “Ha! I’ll remember you said that next time you try and get out of trouble using that ‘frail old man’ card!” Joseph just grumbles more as everyone chuckles; you see a small smirk on his face as he turns away though.

“Fine, fine. Us old guys will sleep in the car while you young whippersnappers brave the cold out here. But don’t come knocking on my door in the middle of the night!”

Jotaro grins at his grandfather’s antics before turning his attention to the rest of the ‘youngsters’ in the pack. “I think we’ll be fine if we spend the night as wolves. The temperature shouldn’t be so cold that we can’t handle it. As for patrol and watch,” he pulls out his phone to check the time, “we’ll pair up for the night and morning shifts, that way all of us get at least a few hours of sleep.” Just the word sleep has Jotaro suppressing a yawn. “I’ll take one spot on the morning patrol, anyone else have a preference?”

You nod and speak up, “I’ll stay up for night shift, I’m not an early riser.” You blush and turn away from Jotaro as you realizes he’s seen you in action- or inaction- two mornings in a row now.

“I don’t really have a preference.” Kakyoin says from your other side, he must have interpreted your movement as looking for his answer, not just avoiding Jotaro.

“I guess that makes me the deciding vote, I’d rather stay up for the night watch than wake up early as well.”

With the patrols figured out for the night everyone starts to prepare for bed. It turns out though that you’re the only one with rough camping experience as the guys watch perplexed as you start gathering a pile of leaves to make a more comfortable spot than just the hard ground. “What, you guys never camped without gear before?” Three sets of eyes look away, embarrassed as Joseph starts cackling in the background.

“You’re going to have to show these city boys the ropes (Y/N)! I’m sure you can handle it.” Joseph says as he climbs into the cleared space in the back of the truck and shuts the door behind him.

“Wait, seriously? None of you have camped out without tents before?”

“Unfortunately, Mr. Joestar is right,” Kakyoin explains as he takes a step forward to better observe what you are doing, “is it really more complicated than just transforming to stay warm?”

“Well, that will keep you warm but it won’t make it more comfortable to sleep on the ground. Help me gather up some more leaves, we’ll make a two-person pile to use as a mattress. Then I’ll help you guys bundle up some pillows out of clothes so they don’t unravel overnight.” Jotaro raises an eyebrow but just shrugs and does as you instruct, the other two falling in line as well. Soon a pretty decent leaf pile is collected and you spread it out large enough for two adult males to fit comfortably. After showing the guys how to roll up pillows tight enough to withstand the tossing and turning that comes from sleeping on the ground you all scavenge the area for branches and sticks to keep the fire fed overnight. “Excellent! I’ll make campers out of you guys yet!”

“How is it you know all this anyway? You said you traveled a lot, but is this how you normally got from place to place?” Kakyoin asks as he drops off the last pile of sticks from his arms.

You wave off the comment, “Oh no, I usually had enough money to get a motel room or something. In a pinch I could sleep in my car for a night if I absolutely needed to. I actually learned all this camping stuff from family reunions. I have a lot of family when you start counting cousins and second cousins, and every year there is a reunion at the beginning of summer. We spend the whole weekend as wolves, hunting, racing, sleeping, occasionally fighting…” you smile and slap your hands free of dirt. “It’s really a great time, living wild for a weekend. Gets a lot of pent-up energy out, you know?”

“That sounds like a rather nice tradition.” Kakyoin gives you a kind smile, “Perhaps we should consider adopting it?” he turns his head towards Jotaro who just hums contemplatively before nodding. Another wave of contagious yawns overtakes the pack and you all decide its time to get some rest.

You all quickly shed your human forms for wolf fur, your senses sparking alive as your form shifts. Colors dim as your new sight allows for better night vision at the cost of reduced variation. You inhale deeply, expecting only the smells of woods and campfire but something slightly sour hangs in the air. Closing your eyes and lifting your nose to the wind you try and follow the trail but it’s gone as suddenly as it appeared, the wind chasing it away from you through the trees. You shake your head and snort to clear your nose. It was probably just some trash or something a previous camper forgot in the area.

Jotaro and Kakyoin get situated on the bed of leaves and Polnareff motions for you to join him at the edge of trees for your first patrol. The journey through the woods is slow going at first, both of you slightly on edge, not knowing what to expect. While you had more experience ‘living wild’ as you called it, Polnareff obviously had more experience hunting and tracking. He makes it a point to stop often to mark your trail with scratches on the trees and brushing up on other shorter bushes to leave his scent. He laughs at you a bit when he catches your curious gaze on the tree he just mauled, “What’s the matter? I thought you were used to camping out in this form?”

“Well yeah, but… I was always stuck hanging out with the pups. My dad and uncles split up patrol duty.”

“Ah, well in that case let me show you. I usually do this when I’m on a job to find someone in the city; its much easier to follow your nose back rather than loose track of a target because you were looking at a map.” He gestures to a tree ahead, “Go ahead and help out. It will probably help keep other animals away too if they smell too many predators in the area.”

“I was wondering why I didn’t hear anything moving around tonight. You think we scarred everything off?” you sniff the air again; you could tell some deer and rabbits had been through recently but only their scent remained now.

“Probably. They’d have to be pretty ill equipped to stay in an area with a bunch of wolves roaming about- or humans for that matter.” He lifts his nose and jogs ahead a few paces to a large boulder, “Here- this is where we started at. Now we just turn left and we’ll be back at camp.” You blink perplexed, you hadn’t really thought about how many turns you’d taken during your walk. Perhaps you were more tired than you thought.

The fire is burning low when you get back to the camp so you feed it some of the branches collected earlier, keeping the coals burning hot enough to reach the sleeping men and keep them a bit more comfortable. You take a seat next to Polnareff and grab one of the drink bottles from the snack pile. It’s a little tricky with your hands being larger and less dexterous than you are used to but you manage to open it and hand it to Polnareff before grabbing one for yourself. The lack of animal sounds around the campsite is still a little unnerving but you’re soon distracted when Polnareff turns to you and starts telling you about the time he had to covertly chase a target through an office building while dressed as a mailman, trying to catch the target in the act of cheating with his co-worker.

You take turns trying to one up each other with ridiculous stories, keeping an eye on the fire and the woods at the same time. You can’t help but let your attention drift every so often as Jotaro or Kakyoin move around in their sleep. Polnareff’s pointy elbow is suddenly nudging your side as he laughs at you, apparently, you’d been staring at the alpha long enough for Pol to notice. You quickly turn away even though your fur would cover any blush on your face. Standing up and moving to the woods again you initiate another patrol round, Polnareff snickering as you follow the trail left last time and refresh the scent marks.

The rest of your night on watch goes smoothly, and by the time your last patrol comes around you’re feeling a bit sleep drunk, playfully pushing Polnareff around on your walk as he teases you for being so concerned with keeping the fire warm and setting aside snacks for Jotaro and Kakyoin when they woke up. Really you were just trying to keep Polnareff from eating all the good snacks. You laugh and give a shove and he makes a show of exaggeratedly falling into a tree.

“Such violence! Just wait! I’ll tell on you to Joseph; we’ll see who’s laughing then!” the large wolfman throws a hand to his forehead like a swooning southern lady and points an accusing finger at you.

“Tell on me? What, you’re going to admit you can’t hold your own against me? He’ll just laugh and call you a spoiled pup again.” You continue slowly on the patrol path and wait for him to catch up.

“No, I’ll just tell him how you were making googly eyes at his grandson all night. You will never have another moments rest!” his triumphant smirk is infuriating even in his wolf form so you shove him off the path again and race back to camp, laughing as he playfully shoves you off course as he passes you.

Back at camp your eyes immediately go to the sleeping wolves and you have to admit maybe Polnareff has a point about you making ‘googly eyes’ at Jotaro; he and Kakyoin are tangled up in what would be a puppy pile if they were younger. You’re very tempted for a moment to not worry about waking them up for their patrol shift and just join the pile yourself, but your rational mind overcomes your instincts and you carefully wake them. Kakyoin wakes up quickly and makes his way to the remaining snacks near the fire. Jotaro however looks half asleep still so you keep him seated for a few moments longer on the leaf pile as you check the wounds on his shoulder hadn’t opened up or gotten too dirty in his sleep. You help him brush some crumbled leaves from his fur and you both make your way to the fire and sitting logs.

You grab a few packs of jerky and some drinks to help Jotaro wake up and you can’t help the startled yelp as he grabs your hand and pulls you down to sit next to him. You’re almost uncomfortably close, your side brushing against his any time either of you inhales. Jotaro doesn’t seem to notice how tense you are, he still looks half asleep as he mechanically eats the snacks you offered him while staring into the fire. You ignore Polnareff’s snickering and Kakyoin’s knowing looks from across the fire pit and hand over a drink to the alpha at your side. His arm brushes against yours as he takes it and you shiver as the contact marks you with his scent, even if it was accidental it is a highly intimate thing, usually reserved for very close pack mates.

“Did anything interesting happen while we were asleep? Anything we should know about?” Kakyoin tries to draw in Polnareff’s attention before he can start teasing you or Jotaro.

Polnareff is hyper focused on the opportunity to tease you though, “Non, non. In fact, you are witnessing the most interesting thing to happen all night,” he gestures to you both. Jotaro must be more awake as he looks back over his shoulder in confusion before he realizes what Pol is implying. You hear him mutter something as he shifts away from you, but only by a few inches so you were no longer joined at the hip.

“Seriously Polnareff?” he yelps and fumbles with a water bottle you throw at him. “But really, it has been pretty uneventful. We must have scared off everything around here.”

Jotaro tenses next to you and you look at him with a questioning tilt of your head. “You haven’t seen any animals around? Not even on perimeter patrol?”

“Uh, no. we just assumed we scared them all away.” Polnareff scratches his head, also confused by Jotaro’s concern. “Isn’t it natural to flee a place is a group of hunters moves in?”

“Maybe at first, but at least the animals in the trees should have come back by now…” Jotaro rubs his eyes and lowers his head with a huff, “Whatever, I’m probably over thinking it.” You glance around the camp site again, the peaceful quiet now more ominous as shadows cast from the fire dance behind trees and bushes.

“Oh, thanks a lot Jotaro. Giving me the creeps right before I go to bed.” Polnareff’s fur is standing on end making him appear comically fluffy. “I’m blaming you if I get no rest tonight. And after (Y/N) and I did such a good job on our watch.” He huffs as he attempts to smooth down his fur again.

The red wolf next to him just chuckles and shakes his head, “Well no one said you have to go to sleep. You’re free to stay up and keep an eye on camp if you want.” Kakyoin stands up and stretches as Polnareff mumbles to himself about needing his beauty sleep and shuffles over to the leaf bed.

You and Jotaro rise from your seats and you give another skeptical glance around at the trees before grabbing hold of Jotaro’s arm as he starts to walk away. This may be becoming a habit for you, grabbing onto his hand for reassurance. He faces you and tilts his head an you search for words as you make eye contact with him. “I…um… just…” you glance away and refocus on his face when he gives your hand a squeeze “Be careful?”

He nods and his stoic features soften slightly as he smiles, “We will, don’t worry. Go get some rest.” His hand lest go of yours and trails up your arm and around to your back to nudge you in the right direction. Too tired to put up any resistance, you follow his order. You’re asleep almost as soon as you lay down next to Polnareff in the leaf pile.

Kakyoin waits patiently at the entrance to the patrol path you and Polnareff created as Jotaro checks around camp. Avdol and the old man still asleep in the truck, the coals of the fire still hot enough that the heat reaches your sleeping spot, and there should be enough wood to keep it that way till morning. He’s satisfied with the state of things and casts one last critical glance to the shadows beyond the tree line before joining Kakyoin on the path. The silence of the forest is unnerving but easy to ignore, Polnareff was probably right about the animals keeping a wide berth around a group of predators.

His concentration is pulled from the surrounding woods by Kakyoin. “(Y/N) seems to be really fitting in well with the pack.” The red wolf faces ahead with a straight face, but there is a glint in his eyes as he glances back to Jotaro to gauge his reaction. “I don’t think I’ve seen you warm up to anybody as fast as you have to her. It’s a bit shocking you decided to trust her so soon if I’m honest.” He tries to keep his face neutral, but Jotaro can see the beginnings of a smug smirk.

“You saying I shouldn’t trust her?” Jotaro throws the statement back at him, years of experience turning Kakyoin’s teasing comments on their head coming into practice.

“Ha, no, not at all. She more than proved herself today.” He pauses, a more serious look on his face as he continues, “But even you have to admit, you’ve been acting very strange since you met her.”

“It’s… complicated. I don’t really want to talk about it.” Jotaro shakes his head and continues moving on.

Kakyoin stops in his tracks, “You know I wouldn’t push you unless I was worried about you. This may be your last chance for a while to get it out in the open. No audience, just us and the trees.” Kakyoin gestures to the woods and waits as Jotaro stops and contemplates his options.

He heaves a sigh before continuing to walk and Kakyoin grins knowing he’s won. “It’s complicated because I don’t really understand what’s going on myself. I know I don’t really know her yet, but at the same time I don’t care about that at all.” Jotaro ruffles his hair in frustration and embarrassment. “The old man thinks its my instincts trying to tell me she’s my mate, or potential mate at least. Logically, I know I should take it slow and get to know her first like a normal person, but…”

“But we’re not normal people Jotaro.” Kakyoin nods sagely, the internal issues clearer to him now. “But she’s not a normal person either. From what I can see, she’s just as eager to get closer to you too.” He can see Jotaro’s shoulders slump in relief as they keep walking the path. “You do have options here, but you need to figure out what you want first. And you don’t have to take Joseph’s words to heart. We’re not going to have the same thoughts on pack bonds and mates as the full wolf members of the pack do.”

“True.” Jotaro sighs again, “Maybe it’s just my human half making me over think this. Gramps and the others don’t seem to have a problem just following their instincts wherever they lead to.”

“Well, that doesn’t always work out perfectly either. That’s what my father did all his life and you know I only call home for mother’s sake these days.”

“I don’t think that’s a trait limited to wolves in that regard.” There is more of a growl in his voice than Jotaro intended. He clears his throat and continues, “Some fathers are just like that.” The rest of the walk back to camp is silent and Jotaro makes himself busy tending the fire when they arrive.

Kakyoin is equally subdued and takes a seat on the log next to Jotaro after raiding the drink selection. He hands over a bottle of beer and Jotaro quirks his head in question. Kakyoin just shrugs and pops the cap off his own, they each take a long swig and stare into the fire.

After a while its time to walk the perimeter path again, the red and black wolves moving quietly to the edge of the camp. Jotaro can’t help but sneak one more glance to where you and Polnareff are sleeping before giving the whole area one last critical look. He joins Kakyoin at the entrance but is stopped by Kakyoin’s outstretched arm before he can continue on the path. The red wolf has his nose tilted to the air so Jotaro follows suit. A slightly sour smell, like a mixture of garbage and deer musk assaults his nose before a breeze makes him loose the scent. Kakyoin must have lost it too based on the way he opens his eyes and searches the woods around. Nothing seems out of place, all the trees around silent and still. The animals have still not reappeared and the silence makes each footstep loud and clear as a bell. Another strong breeze makes the trees creak and groan, leaves shifting and rattling on the ground.

The soured smell is back again as they reach a landmark tree indicating they need to turn left soon, but as they pass it by, they are met with unfamiliar woods in front of them. The trees groan in the wind again, but Jotaro notices no leaves shift from their spots on the ground. They both freeze and turn in place, Kakyoin barely catches movement from his right where the landmark tree is, the roots undulating and creeping like snakes before quickly resettling.

“Jojo, the trees…”

“Yeah, I saw it. Not just the trees though, look at the branches on that bush.” The shrub in question was undoubtedly larger than it was a few seconds ago, its branches and twigs looked like they were caught in the wind but were using the movement to disguise how they grew and stretched themselves towards the wolves.

Jotaro’s fur stands straight up, there was no telling how far off the path they’ve been led. Were they even in range of the camp to hear if anything was also going wrong there? They’d have to rely on the scent trail to get back before… The sour smell from earlier is suddenly overpowering as a few trees about fifty feet away move on their own to make way for a giant creature lumbering towards them. Its beady eyes are focused on them and it grins, revealing jagged teeth as it lifts its arm. The plants around them writhe and tangle themselves at the leshin’s command.

Kakyoin growls loudly as he cuts away reaching branches with his claws. Jotaro focuses on the creature before them, looking for any obvious weaknesses. Its body is gigantic, probably twelve feet tall even though it was hunched over and dragged its knuckles like a great ape while it walked. Rough textured skin peeked out between ragged pelts and tufts of mossy hair on its body, probably the most vulnerable targets at a glance. On its head it wore a deer skull like a helmet, the antlers scraping branches above it with each bob of its head.

It’s distracted with pushing a tree out of its way to make room for its body and Jotaro uses the moment to rush forward, Kakyoin following right behind him. They quickly close the distance and lunge at the beast leaving deep gouges in the creature’s skin. No blood rises to the surface of the cuts though, in fact, the leshin makes almost no note of the injuries. They repeat their attack, but the rough patches only splinter like tree bark as they make contact. It retaliates and swings a fist at them but it’s too slow to connect.

They quickly fall back out of range to regroup. Jotaro growls lowly with his hackles raised, “Its skin is too thick to break through.” The leshin raises its arms again and they cut away the creeping branches.

“We can out run it though. Get back to camp and get everyone out of here.” Kakyoin pants as he slashes at vines threatening to anchor them to the ground. Jotaro nods and turns towards the woods, Kakyoin leading the way back to camp. The creature catches onto their plan though and with a chilling wail the trees in front of them weave into a solid wall before their eyes.

Roots spring up from underground and snare their legs too quickly to cut away. The creeping vines quickly climb up past their hips and tangle their claws when they come close enough. Their struggle is fruitless and the leshin lumbers closer to them making up for its speed handicap by totally immobilizing its prey. It reaches for Kakyoin and its massive hand is large enough to completely wrap around his torso as it plucks him from the ground.

Jotaro’s eyes widen and redoubles his efforts to get free as Kakyoin is lifted towards the creature’s mouth. He glances around desperately looking for something that can aid him before it’s too late. The trees and roots are still undulating wildly, rocks and dead branches pushed out of the way for the living plants. Living plants. Of course, it was only able to control living things! He’s finally able to free one of his arms and grabs a rock laying near his feet. It flies free of his grasp and shatters the nose of the dear skull on the leshin’s head sending shards of bone into the creature’s forehead and eyes.

The leshin howls in pain using its free hand to brush away the shards and lowers Kakyoin towards the ground. Kakyoin had been scratching and clawing at the gigantic hand still squeezing him but uses the opportunity to grab onto a large rock as he’s swung low to the ground. The creature recovers and swings Kakyoin back up towards its mouth. The rock Kakyoin is holding slams into its face as he swings his arms with all his strength and the creature wails in pain again.

Keeping hold of the large rock, Kakyoin quickly shoves it into the mouth of the screaming leshin, sinking his arms up to the elbow to lodge the rock in its throat. He’s barely able to withdraw before the leshin snaps its jaws shut. Its wails and cries now reduced to gurgling choking as its eyes begin to bulge and look franticly around the woods. Panic is starting to set in as it’s unable to draw in air, its grip on Kakyoin finally releasing and control over the plants waning. The drop to the floor is jarring and Kakyoin scrambles to regain his footing, one arm braced across his stomach where the leshin’s grip had tightened painfully.

Jotaro is finally free of the vines and roots that kept him bound in place and sprints over to where Kakyoin is hunched over, grabbing him under the arms and dragging him away from the creature as it fumbles and thrashes. Its gnarled hands grasp at its throat, clawing and scraping away at its own bark-like skin. It rises to its full height and stumbles backwards, beady eyes rolling in their sockets and tongue hanging from its gaping mouth. One of its arms flails wildly before making contact with its mouth, pushing fingers into its own throat to try and dislodge the rock but only pushing it deeper. The lack of air finally makes it loses consciousness and it falls back into the trees with a crash.

Kakyoin stands, panting as they watch the leshin twitch in its death throws, both he and Jotaro winded but thankfully just bruised from the encounter. The woods around them are again still and silent, trees and roots creaking and groaning in protest to their new locations but no longer moving on their own. They keep their eyes locked onto the creature as they catch their breath but as soon as they recover, they turn back to the path. The markings on the trees can’t be trusted to lead them so they rely on smell as they run through the woods back to camp.

They burst past the line of trees into camp and take stock of the scene. The fire is burning low, but everything else seems to be just as they left it. Jotaro motions to the truck and Kakyoin nods and makes his way over to wake Joseph and Avdol. From where he’s standing, he can see you and Polnareff are still sleeping, your face pushed into the white wolf’s back for warmth and Polnareff has wrapped himself around one of the makeshift pillows. Jotaro shakes you awake first; you grumble and reluctantly roll over to look at him. “We’re leaving early.”

A kick of adrenalin feels like ice shooting through your veins, fully alert and stiffly sitting up to look around the camp for danger. Nothing seems out of place so you turn your attention to Jotaro. He’s panting slightly but seems fine other than some random leaves and twigs stuck in his fur. “What’s wrong? What’s going on?” you ask as you stand up from the leaf bed and keep a careful eye on the woods.

Polnareff is grumbling as he’s woken up too but Jotaro turns to you and answers, “We encountered a creature, I’m not even sure what it was.” Another spike of adrenalin rushes you, “We took it down but I don’t want to take any chances that it had friends out here. I’ll explain more in the car when we’re out of here.” You and Polnareff nod and help him to quickly pack up camp.

Joseph and Avdol make their way out of the truck just as you finish smothering the fire, Kakyoin behind them and once again in his human form. Jotaro drops his transformation as Joseph approaches him and claps his hand to Jotaro’s shoulder as he looks him over for new injuries. A few new scrapes have appeared on his skin but you were correct earlier when you didn’t see any serious ones. He huffs as he completes his visual check and pulls Jotaro into a tight hug. “We’re really having some shitty luck lately, aren’t we son?” he pulls away with a grin as Jotaro mumbles out his trademark ‘good grief’, but you see the small smirk on his face too. “Kakyoin told us the… thing… out there is dead?”

“Yeah, but I’d rather we get out of here as soon as possible. We don’t know if it was the only one here.” Avdol nods at the order and gets to work arranging the seats and loading gear into the truck. You and Polnareff are the last to drop your transformations and the chilly morning air causes you to shiver. It’s still a few hours till dawn, but soon you are all ready and seated in the warm truck, Joseph is acting as navigator as Avdol drives carefully out of the woods, the last leg of your journey to New York City now underway.

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Author’s Note:

I just keep falling further and further behind, don’t I? I try to write for at least an hour a day on my lunch break, but between this chapter being SOOO long and my lunches being shorter lately... well better late than never! 

Hug-your-stand-day 6/6

I know this one is very different compared to the others but I just couldnt do it anymore lmao